Dillard’s will close Thursday

On my way to work today, I walked into Dillard’s from the Alamo Street entrance expecting to see not that much activity. And there wasn’t on that side. There was nothing but fixtures for sale.

Over in the area that leads into Rivercenter Mall, there were a bunch of people getting their hands on everything from clothes to candle holders. There were empty jewelry displays going for $150 a pop and in another corner, mannequins parts.

A couple of employees told me the store will close for good on Thursday. The store is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through Thursday.

The building was the home of the Joske’s department store for most of last century. (Updated: In previous version I wrote “this century.”) Dillard’s bought the Joske’s company in 1987, which is when Dillard’s moved in.

Now, New York-based Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., which also owns Rivercenter Mall, has bought the building from Dillard’s and plans to turn the building into “retail, dining and entertainment venues, but not another department store.” That’s a quote from the Express-News story printed in June about the acquisition. Read the story here. It’s by Creighton Welch of ENREF — Express-News Real Estate Foursome. Love those guys.